Archive for 2013

This project is located on top of a remote mesa in far north Queensland in outback Australia.
It was created as a visitor centre for people to witness first-hand one of the world’s most significant and cohesive dinosaur collections and it is remarkable for two reasons.
The first is its gestation. Twelve years ago, a cattle grazier David Elliott accidentally stumbled on 100 million year old dinosaur fossils while mustering cattle. Since then, he has become Australia’s leading palaeontologist who has engaged Winton’s whole community in the excavating, assembly and conservation of large dinosaurs. Through these operations, Winton’s fragile farming economy has been transformed.

This building, which partially replaces an existing building, feels rationalist in style. Midway between the suburbs and the historic centre, the building has an ‘L’ shape attached to an existing block which closes off a part of the neighbourhood. Its diverse functions find space on the various floors of the building.

This design is in response to the growing need to repair and upgrade aging infrastructure that is vital to the United States. America’s Hi-Speed Rail network, originally built during the 20th century, has become physically outdated and technologically obsolete. Therefore, our approach is to not only bring these elements up to modern standards, but to look forward to the promise of future possibilities, and communicate this architecturally.

The W Guangzhou Hotel & Residences complex was designed in 2006 and the construction works began in the next year. After 6 year’s construction, W Guangzhou ushered in its grand opening in May 2013.The architecture of W Guangzhou is a response both to the urban conditions of contemporary Guangzhou, and to the unique programme of a compact city hotel.
The building is an actual amalgamation of two components: a 317-room boutique hotel and a 160-unit serviced apartment under one single management.

The building flanks a major boulevard (Xian Cun Road) along the central axis of the new CBD of Guangzhou. The lower hotel portion addresses the busy Xian Cun Road / Jin Sui Road turnabout, announcing the brand and projecting the glazed roof-top spa; while the taller apartment portion turns the corner of the quieter south-eastern Xian Cun Road junction.

The two portions are architecturally unified into one monolithic block that presents a large-scale public image, defines the street edge and reinforces its linearity, but at the same time is punctuated in the centre with a large vertical ‘window’ that allows the inner landscaped park of the urban block to visually and spatially merge with the public street. This compositional gesture brings about an urban permeability that enhances the lighting and air flow pattern within the district.

Within the unified architectural mass, individual components are given their own expression: the private residential portion i.e. guest rooms and apartments are clad in dark granite / glass, their scale subtly defined by a matrix of vertical glass fins, while the public portion i.e. bar, restaurants and spa are enclosed in transparent glazed boxes that visually spring out from the dark background and allow the hotel’s ambience to radiate into the surrounding neighborhoods.

With major hotel functions needing to be stacked up vertically by virtue of the compact size of the urban lot, the architecture is an actual embodiment of an intriguing spatial journey from the ground up: a three-dimensional and intertwining sequencing of diverse spatial forms and experience, from the narrow and vertical entrance vestibule, to the spacious but intimate reception ‘living room’, to the transparent bar in the floating glass box, all the way to the green and semi-enclosed swimming pool resting on the building’s top.
The architecture of W visually intrigues, and at the same time creates a spatial odyssey that invites exploration and keeps senses invigorated.

Saint Nazaire railway station is the focal point of a public transport network for a sprawling town that is destined for further growth. The creation of a high-frequency bus route lead to the reworking of the roadways and parking areas for buses and coaches around the station as well as the development of the square in front of the station.

Solo exhibition by Baptiste Debombourg at the Centre d’Art Actuel l’Oeil de Poisson from 03.05 to 02.06.2013, 541, rue de Saint Vallier Est, Quebec, Canada.
FLOW is resurrection, rebellion, the sudden mirror of our mass consumption society that kills human beings and the objects it mass-produces. Here the windscreens surge up like the wave that engulfs towns in catastrophe films such as 2012 or The Day After Tomorrow. They are broken, discarded, ignored objects that take the place by storm, rebel and attack us. Like ignored vomit being spewed out from on high.

Margot-Duclot architectes associés concluded in 2013 a 5 years project in the city of Bonneuil-sur-Marne. The TCSP, a major public transport project connecting the Pompadour place with the Sucy station, initiated a strong renewal in the Bonneuil City entrance.The land retrieved from the railways made possible the conversion of the IUFM crossroad into a friendly urban scale.

Montreal’s Carmelite Chapel made its home somewhat out of the way of the city’s core in 1875. Its solemn architecture reflects the medieval roots of the Carmel tradition, save for some of the chapel’s neo-gothic details. Our work revolved around the renovation of the plastered walls and the ceiling’s marouflage panels.

Top players of the international architectural and design community, from as far as Mexico and Belgium, gathered at Evergreen Brick Works last night as AZURE revealed the winners of its third annual AZ Awards. These awards are one of a kind: the only international, multi-disciplinary design competition in Canada. Representing a global snapshot of the world of architecture and design, submissions were open to designers, architects, firms and manufacturers of all disciplines, as well as students in these fields.

The high-calibre international jury included architect Shirley Blumberg of KPMB (Toronto), designer Todd Bracher of Todd Bracher Studio (New York), interior designer George Yabu of Yabu Pushelberg (Toronto and New York), landscape architect Ken Smith of Workshop (New York and Irvine, California), and visionary manufacturer and designer Giulio Cappellini of Cappellini (Milan). In March, the expert panel conferred at Torontoʼs Hôtel Le Germain, Maple Leaf Square, narrowing the field from an impressive 677 entries arriving from 38 countries to a shortlist of 43 finalists. From there, they selected the 14 outstanding winners.

“The overall calibre of entries to the AZ Awards was especially high this year,” says Catherine Osborne, editor of AZURE, “which made it very challenging for the jury. Everyone agreed there was an incredible amount of intelligence, sophistication and elegance visible in all of the submissions.”

During the month of April, the public was also given the chance to vote online for their favourites as the Peopleʼs Choice.

About AZURE: AZURE is Canadaʼs leading contemporary design magazine and one of a handful of influential design titles worldwide. The independent magazine enjoys a growing subscriber base and can be found on newsstands across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia. Each issue consistently deliver lively, visually engaging, forward-looking and socially relevant coverage of contemporary design. AZURE profiles designers and architects from around the world; brings its readers breaking news on interior products and trends; showcases smart and paradigm-breaking residential and commercial projects; and investigates design issues related to our changing society.

AZURE is an indispensable source of information and ideas for architects and designers as well as design-savvy consumers. The publication continues to garner awards for its overall excellence and high standards for visual and written content.